Altered Destiny
by Novalon
Summary: AU - 5 years ago, an event that was supposed to happen ended in a different way, what does the future of the planet entail? As always, read and review.
1. A Destiny Altered

Altered Destiny

A Final Fantasy 7 Fanfiction

By: Novalon 

He stood at the edge of the mountain town, taking a deep breath of the air as he turned back to the group of people who were following him.  The air was slightly chilly, giving the area a sense of foreboding, as if there was something the town housed that could mean danger to all those in the group.

He waved a hand through his silver hair, calmly adjusting the Nodachi at his side.

He nodded to the man with spiky black hair before motioning to the man adorned in blue armor.

"So, this is your hometown… first time you've been back in a long time, right?  I wouldn't know… I have never had a hometown…"

The Soldier in question, Strife, adjusted his helmet, covering his blonde hair, as if he was ashamed of it.

"No hometown?  What about a family?  Or is that too personal?"

His stoic expression was unwavering, "No, Strife, it's okay.  I never had a family, well, not a normal one in the sense that you might think… a pitiful excuse of a man refers to himself as my father… and my mother… she died when I was very young.  The only person I've even considered close to family is Professor Gast…"

The black haired man closest briefly shook his head, "And yet you're going out with his daughter… I swear, had you not already done so, it would've been me… lucky…"

He nodded, curtly, "Indeed, I am lucky, 1st class Officer Russell, I guess it is most unfortunate for you…"

Officer Russell turned to the blonde haired man next to him, "How do you like that, Cloud?  General Sephiroth here not only has the greatest skill with Magic and Swordplay in the entire world, but he's got one of the prettiest girls in the world too, and here he goes gloating about it."

Cloud, whose last name was Strife, shook his head, "Zack, you'll find someone, as my mom always told me, there's someone for everyone."

Zack grimaced before turning back to Sephiroth.

"So, what's the plan now, sir?"

Sephiroth motioned to the other soldier adorned in blue armor, much like Cloud, "Standell here will switch watch with Strife, seeing as how we're here to take care of monsters anyway.  Also, I'm sure Strife here will want to say hi to his family before we have to take a trip to the mountain…"

Cloud lowered his gaze, "Of course… sir."

As Sephiroth and Zack walked to the Inn, Cloud motioned to Standell, the other soldier with him.

"Gyrick, I'll take the first watch, alright?  It looks like you didn't get much rest on that truck ride anyway, go catch some sleep, I'll get you at 0200."

Gyrick nodded, twirling his gun.  "You're a real pal, Cloud.  Hell, a lot like my friend, Edward.  When we get back to Midgar, I'll introduce him to ya, you guys would get along great!  Great guy to drink with, I mean, damn, he'll put down Everclear like it's nothing, and don't get me started about the way he's learned to mix the stuff… ah, it's a shame he never made it here, he was injured during an uprising in Wutai, and he's recuperating with his folks in Costa Del Sol… lucky SOB… ah well, I'll catch ya later, Cloud."

Cloud nodded, waving to Gyrick as he walked back in the Inn.  He slowly took off his helmet, wiping some sweat off his face.

"Seems like you're making friends a lot easier that I remembered…"

He turned around, looking into a pair of deep brown eyes.  He looked back at the pretty face before slowly smiling in recognition.

"Tifa, great to see you again… er… you've uh…"

His eyes went across the rest of her body, and he was glad he took the helmet off as he began to sweat some more.

"Ah… you've… uh… grown."

She chuckled, wrapping her arms around him.

"Yeah, I grew up as a lonely girl waiting for her handsome soldier to return… doesn't look like they accepted you as an officer though…"

Cloud looked away from her face, dejectedly, "I know… I wanted to get in the training program so bad… but I didn't have the credentials… most of the officers usually had some kind of family in SOLDIER beforehand, so it was easier for them…"

Tifa moved a gloved hand up to Cloud's face, forcing his gaze to hers.

"Well that doesn't matter to me.  You are who you are, Cloud.  And hey, you're even here with Sephiroth!  I saw you guys come into town, and I was hoping you were in the group!"

He sighed, "I was almost afraid to show my face… but then Sephiroth got to talking about his family, or lack thereof… and I couldn't bear not to show my face around here again, not since it looks like you've been waiting for me."

She smiled, "It feels so good to see you again.  Come on… let's go see your mother!  She's been waiting to see you again too…"

As they moved off towards the house Cloud used to live in, a shout stopped them.

"Hey Cloud!  Who's the pretty girl you're with?"

They turned around to see Zack walking towards them.  He flashed a cool smile before striking his famous SOLDIER officer pose.

Cloud grimaced, "This is Tifa, Zack, she and I grew up together."

Zack nodded, "Damn, girl, you got a hell of a body on ya.  What's say we go to your place and I show you how I polish my sword?"

Cloud shot him a dirty look, looking over at Tifa who acted as if she didn't care about the comment.

"You probably don't need a lot of polish with the weapon you're compensating with."

Zack's eyes widened as he stepped forward angrily.

"You did not just say that to me, bi-…"

Before he could even finish the last word, Cloud had already stepped in his way, his angry mako green eyes nearly causing pain with their intent.

"Zack, back off."

Tifa walked up and latched her hand around Cloud's.

"Yeah, if you didn't already realize it, I'm already taken…"

Zack backed off angrily, looking around before focusing on Cloud again.

"Standing up against your superior officer… well I oughta…"

"Shut the hell up, Zack!"

He turned with an expression of shock as he saw Gyrick leaning out the window of the Inn, Sephiroth behind him with a hand over his eyes, shaking his head.

Zack looked between Gyrick and Cloud with amazement.

"What the hell is this?  Does it suddenly not matter that I'm a first class SOLDIER now?"

Gyrick expressed his displeasure, "Not when you're thinking with your goddamned dick!  I'm trying to get some sleep here, and the General's about to have your ass on a platter!  So shut the hell up so I can be ready for watch!"

Zack turned around wildly before stomping off towards the Inn with a mask of rage written all over his face.

As soon as he went in, Cloud turned back to Tifa with a raised eyebrow.

"So you're already taken, eh?"

She smiled, embracing him again, "Yeah, that is, unless you have a problem with it…"

He shook his head, returning the embrace, "I'd have to be crazy if I had a problem… being an officer really doesn't matter any more…"

Tifa grinned before pulling Cloud in the direction of his house.

"Come on, let's go see your mom before that asshole decides to bother us again…"

Cloud sighed, "You know, I think if he had a girlfriend, he'd probably be less of one… but then again, what do I know?"

The evening went smoothly.  Well, almost, for Gyrick, he didn't get all the rest he wanted, but he was a great deal less tired than he was before.  And Zack was bitter after being shot down completely by Tifa.  Other than the two, the rest of the evening was seemingly perfect.

"It's time.  We should start heading to the reactor now."

Gyrick gobbled up the last of what the Inn cooked for breakfast before looking at the door.

"Damn, Cloud must be lucky.  If the Inn cooks food this good, imagine how his mom must cook his…"

Sephiroth chuckled, "Lucky indeed, especially with the girl he was with…"

Gyrick nodded, "Yeah, I got a girl back in my town, myself, Aurora's gotta be the most swell girl I've ever met.  She may be part Wutaitian, but that doesn't mean I think any less of her."

Sephiroth nodded, "Indeed, we may never forget the war, but that doesn't mean we can't forgive the people… hm… Cloud needs to hurry up if he's going to…"

The door opened abruptly, as Cloud showed up fully dressed in his armor with a grin on his face.  The helmet was stashed in his standard issue backpack and his gun was securely holstered at his side.

"Nice to see you ready, Strife."

Cloud nodded, saluting the General.

"Thanks for letting me stay with my mom, by the way."

Sephiroth chuckled, "Of course, we were short a bed here anyhow, you staying at your house was almost the best course of action if we were all going to get some rest."

Gyrick got up from the table, "By the way, we hired a guide to get us to the reactor, though I'm not sure who's doing it, they say she's the best around."

Sephiroth nodded, "She's a student of the great Zangan Figaro, one of the greatest fist fighters on the planet…"

Cloud looked back, surprised, "What?  Tifa's going to be our guide?"

Gyrick grimaced, "Oh great, Zack won't shut up about it… keep an eye on her, Cloud."

Cloud sneered, "You'd have to force me not to."

As Zack walked down the stairs, he flashed a cold stare to Cloud before saluting to Sephiroth.

"We ready?"

The rest of the trip was uneventful; Cloud even got his picture taken with Tifa, Zack, and Sephiroth, though he would have much rather had Zack out of the picture.  As they neared a long rope bridge, Gyrick expressed a frown.

"I've never liked flimsy bridges like this, we better proceed with caution."

Sephiroth nodded, "Good idea, Standell… Russell, go first."

Zack frowned, "What about one of the MP's?"

Sephiroth's stoic gaze remained unchanged.

"Russell, go first."

Zack spat a curse before walking the bridge, with Sephiroth following him, who motioned to the rest to go behind him.

Cloud looked behind him, as he heard a snap of one of the ropes.

"No, Tifa!  Not again!"

He grabbed her hand, holding on to her as the rope Cloud was hanging on suddenly snapped from the weight, causing all of them to fall into the crevice beneath them.

Cloud awoke to hear Sephiroth's voice echoing across the mountains.

"Standell!  Respond!  Standell… respond, damn it!"

He looked over to see Tifa standing over him, grinning.

"You broke my fall, Cloud… if it wasn't for you…"

Cloud grimaced, slowly sitting up, "I couldn't have let you fall into another coma again…"

She embraced him as Zack started walking away in disgust.

"Life's refreshing breeze, heal the wounds… Cure."

A soft healing light fell over Cloud as he turned to see Sephiroth standing nearby with a pained look on his face.

"I'm sorry… I can't find Standell anywhere…"

Cloud grimaced before Zack suddenly spoke up.

"Leave him… the reactor is close, and we need to check that out right away."

Cloud shook his head, "You really are a cold hearted bastard, aren't you, Zack?"

Before Zack could step forward, Sephiroth stood in his way.

"When we get back to Midgar, I'm going to make a discharge request…"

"What?!"

Cloud looked back, surprised.

"After your behavior today, I've seen the integrity of SOLDIER ruined… I don't even think you are fit to lead anyone… if anything, Strife is a much more valued member than you are…"

Zack turned away, fuming, "You'll… you… damn it!"

Tifa helped Cloud up as Sephiroth took the lead.

"We'll come back tomorrow and see if we can find Standell… as for now, we need to see what we can do about the monster problem."

Cloud stayed with Tifa outside of the reactor as Sephiroth and Zack slowly made their way inside.  He looked back at her frowning face.

"I'm sorry Tifa… but orders are orders.  Civilians can't enter a reactor unless they work there…"

Sephiroth looked inside one of the pods near the main reactor in shock.

"Was… was… was this how I was… created?"

Zack spat to the side, "Serve's ya right, I figured there was something wrong with you anyway…"

Sephiroth held his head, as voices began to whisper, and a chilling wind swept through the area.

"No… no… must… not… listen… Aeris… help me…"

He looked around, shaking his head as he slowly began to calm down.

"What… the hell was that?  There's something here…"

Zack looked up at the dome, "Something's… calling me there… Jenova…"

Sephiroth looked over at him in alarm.

"What, don't tell me… you were put in Hojo's experimental program… you willingly allowed Jenova cells to be injected in you, didn't you."

Zack laughed, a slight insanity coming to his lips.

"Yes, and Cloud too, thinking it would help him get into SOLDIER that much easier!  Hah, what a fool!"

Sephiroth drew the Masamune, "Calm down, Russell, or I will gut you."

Zack laughed, suddenly walking out as if nothing happened.

"Perhaps I'll take a look at the Professor's notes that he probably has stashed away in the basement of the mansion."

Sephiroth put a hand to his head, "I wish that was completely classified, and not just to the military…"

Zack walked out of the mansion, an inner fire glowing along with the mako green of his eyes.  He put a green material globe into his Buster Sword, grinning with insanity.

"I hope Sephiroth doesn't mind that I borrowed his Fire material… gyahahahahah… Flames, gather to me!  Destroy this worthless town!  Fire 3!"

Cloud found himself surrounded with fire, as he turned to Sephiroth who stared around with a look of confusion.

"My fire materia… Russell!  Damn it!  The town needs to be evacuated!"

Cloud watched as he noticed Tifa's father running after Zack's retreating form, with Tifa close behind.  He motioned to Sephiroth, who noticed what was going on.

"I'll handle Zack!  I won't let that madman escape!"

Sephiroth nodded, before racing into the nearest house.

Cloud leapt over the flames, running towards the mountains.

"Come back here, you bastard!"

"Dad!"

He fell as the Buster Sword tore through his body.  Zack dropped the sword near him, laughing manically as he walked into the main reactor room.

Tifa took up the sword, running after Zack.  She tried to swing as best she could, but Zack caught the sword and laughed, as he seemed to be possessed with some kind of demonic strength.  Had Tifa not backed up slightly, the vicious slash he made would have surely killed her.  As she began to black out, she noticed Cloud running in to the room as Zack went into the room with Jenova.

"Cloud…"

Cloud walked over to her and picked her up, moving her off to the side.

"You came to save me… my knight in shining armor…"

He grinned, making sure not to look at the horrible gash in her body.

"I told you I would… now I'll take care of Zack…"

He twirled his standard issue MP machine gun before noticing that Zack had already went out of the room, and looked as if he was heading back towards the entrance of the reactor.  Cloud ran after him, following him to the next room.

"Zack!  It's over!  I'm going to make sure you don't survive this, you crazy bastard!"

He opened fire, causing Zack to spasm in alarm as the bullets ripped through his body.

"Hahahahaha… I am one with Jenova… you can't possibly stop me."

Zack slowly turned around, not even caring that a hail of bullets was hitting him.

"Such a shame I had to destroy your town… ah well, Jenova wanted it, her son didn't seem to want to listen to her, so she pretty much adopted me… say hi to Tifa in the lifestream for me, bastard."

As Zack neared Cloud, the bullets began to be deflected off of the massive sword.

"So Cloud… are you ready to…"

He stopped, noticing as a long, thin sword suddenly was protruding from his midsection.  He turned around to see Sephiroth's angry gaze.

"Your mother is very angry with you…" Zack spat.

Sephiroth shook his head as he lifted Zack up and tossed him off over the railing, down into the lifestream energy that the reactor compressed into Mako.

Cloud stared in amazement as he saw Zangan and Gyrick standing behind Sephiroth.

"What the…"

Gyrick chuckled, "Zangan here saved my life, brought me back to the town and got my health back… that is… before the fire struck…"

Cloud grimaced as he looked down at the pool of lifestream, where he could not longer see Zack's body.

"They won't be too happy about this one, especially after what happened here…"

Sephiroth shook his head angrily, "I can't believe SOLDIER would let a man like him become first class… it figures, I think he was Hideggar's 2nd cousin, or something like that…"

Cloud shook his head in sadness before motioning to Sephiroth to follow him.

"Can you cure Tifa?  Zack hurt her, but I think she'll pull through."

Sephiroth walked over, calmly drawing upon his healing materia to close up her wounds.

She grimaced before sitting up, holding a hand to her head.

"What… what, happened?  Dad…?  Mom…?  Cloud?"

Cloud walked over to her, kneeling and bringing a hand to cup her face.

"I… I don't think anyone made it besides us… and your master, Zangan."

Zangan nodded, lowering his head and shaking it slowly.

"There were no other survivors… I doubt anyone could have made it out of that hell…"

Sephiroth shook his head, "Any normal person should have just been able to conjure a short flame even with a Fire 3 spell… what could possibly… except… no… Jenova… damn you Hojo!"

Cloud grimaced, his eyes glowing with an unnatural hatred, "That man… I willingly entered into his program, for the chance that it would aid me in joining SOLDIER, but… that it would make use of Materia be so strong…" he glanced at his hands, cringing, "and that I would have that sort of power at my disposal… a curse…"

Sephiroth nodded, "A curse, indeed, Jenova is truly the root of the problem, but the only one who can be blamed for all of this is Hojo… he needs to suffer…"

Gyrick coughed, shaking his head uneasily, "But… he's Shinra's number two scientist, the President would surely have us thrown in the deep sea facility prison for committing such an act.  We'd be court marshaled at the very least."

Sephiroth sneered, looking in the eyes of all who were in the room.

"Then we make it look like someone else did it… a Wutai assassin, someone, anyone…"

Gyrick's eyes went wide, shocked, "Wait, so we're going to continue to work for Shinra, but essentially go against them from the inside?"

Sephiroth nodded, his eyes glowing, "Yes, we will be like an Avalanche, we will start out with Hojo, and move on from there… Aeris has told me much of the pain of the Lifestream, that Mako is to blame; I didn't realize it until I heard of the monsters in the area…"

Slowly, all the people in the bridge area nodded, starting with Zangan until the entirety of the group was in agreement.

Cloud stepped forward, his eyes glowing with Mako and determination.

"Yeah, we'll be like an Avalanche, Hojo, and Shinra will pay for this…"


	2. With Mako and Determination

Altered Destiny

Chapter 2: With Mako and Determination…

Sephiroth put his foot on the railing, looking down at the coalescing energies.  He shuddered at the immense power of lifestream in the area and slowly made his way back into the airship.

"It's as an ol' friend of mine used to say…"

Sephiroth grinned as he heard the man's voice, one that sounded as if he worked in a coalmine during his early years.

"There ain't no getting' offa this train we on!"

The whole cockpit erupted with various repetitions of the phrase, including the mechanical robot, Cait Sith, which shouted aloud, "This train we on ain't makin' no stops!"

Sephiroth looked to the man, who ran a hand through his slick black hair as he wiped a tear from his eye.

"I'm savin' this world… because it's what Barret would've done."

The large gun on his right arm, a reminder of what happened to him earlier in his life glistened off the faint light that poured in the cockpit from the lifestream energies in the area.

Tifa walked up to him, throwing her arms around him in a massive hug.

"I'm sure he's proud of you, Dyne."

Cloud walked to the entrance of the cockpit to greet Sephiroth, a massive sword slung on his back, a weapon of the planet, the Ultima Weapon.

"Sephiroth… all of this… everything we've done, you've helped us so much, giving up everything you had with Shinra to save the planet… I want say, on behalf of all of us… thank you."

Sephiroth grinned, shaking his head, "Please, I'm sure even if I wasn't here, you would have dealt with a similar problem with the planet…"

He looked around the room, remembering the various adventures he had with the members.

The young girl, Yuffie Kisaragi, was the assassin that had been hired from Wutai.  She joined the team mostly because her botched assassination job ended up offing the President when Hojo made some kind of superhuman movement to dodge the poison shuriken she had thrown to get rid of him.  Sephiroth had made some kind of elaborate plan to save her life because of an agreement he had with her father, Lord Godo.

The lion-like creature, RedXIII, who had been experimented on by Hojo, and who Sephiroth had also found in the company of Aeris, had been found early on in the adventure, during the first raid on Shinra Inc.  Realizing the sick and twisted plot of Hojo made Sephiroth want to kill him even more, but the tricky mad scientist had already fled the scene while letting one of his other experiments try to finish the group of Cloud, Sephiroth, and Tifa, off.

Tifa, the guide of Mt. Nibel, and Cloud's current fiancé, was the groups main source of enthusiasm and motivation.  She was one of the original founders of Avalanche, along with Sephiroth, and was surprisingly one of the best fighters on the team.  It turned out that during the adventure, Tifa found out about a lost heritage of hers, that she was somewhat related to her master, Zangan, and was in fact, the direct descendant of Sabin Figaro, one of the greatest fist fighters ever to exist in the past.  She even took the group to a small, secluded cabin near the Midgar mountains, where she found Zangan and successfully learned the most powerful technique of her ancestor: Bum Rush.

Cid, the illustrious pilot and mechanic, was one of the team's greatest fighters, also being the owner of the world's fastest airship, which became the group's base of operations.  Supposedly, Cid was descended from the great Kain Highwind, one of the greatest Dragoons ever to exist, which perhaps accounted for Cid's prominent skill with the spear.  Cid's addition to the group was one of the greatest, bringing in the Highwind, his ship, but also two sources of huge materia picked up during the adventure.

Cait Sith, the mechanical toy created by Reeve, who was supposedly next in line for the Shinra Presidency with Rufus, Hideggar, and Scarlet out of the way.  The toy ended up being the reason the group was able to get the Black Materia out of the temple of the ancients, but perhaps the move was not the greatest of options, as Sephiroth saw it.  Looking at the machine caused Sephiroth to flash back to the horrid event.

As the Materia was created due to the shrinking of the temple, Cloud immediately jumped down into the pit along with Aeris to check out the small globular object with Sephiroth following behind.  As Sephiroth neared the object, his head began to hurt as a voice began calling him.

_"No… give me the materia."_

_Zack's hazy form suddenly appeared out of nowhere, immediately striking Sephiroth down to the ground.  As the materia was jarred out of his hands, Cloud immediately lunged for the materia, a growl escaping his lips as he sent a heated glare to Zack._

_Zack chuckled, "What, you think a pathetic worm like yourself can stand up to the power that my mother has given me?  You are truly a fool, Cloud Strife.  You should have burned with the rest of your pathetic town."_

_He suddenly appeared behind Aeris, his massive sword coming dangerously close to her neck._

_"Now, I wouldn't have to kill the last surviving ancient, would I?  Hand me the materia if you or her boyfriend want to see her safe."_

_Her pleading eyes looked to Cloud and Sephiroth, brimming with tears as she realized the both of them would likely not wish to see her die._

_"No, don't do it!"_

_Zack chuckled, "My dear, you really don't have much of a choice, it's in their hands."_

_Sephiroth grimaced, stepping up and snatching the materia from Cloud._

_"Give me your word, Russell."_

_Zack grinned, "Oh, does the General have his doubts about his officer?  Please, the life of this woman means nothing to me, but the materia certainly does.  Give it to me, and you'll see her live."_

_Sephiroth threw the materia to Zack as he caught it and promptly disappeared to wherever he appeared from._

_Aeris' pleading eyes stared at Sephiroth in surprise._

_"He could very well destroy the world…"_

_Sephiroth shook his head, "Had he killed you, he would have already destroyed my world."_

_Her eyes filled with tears as she realized the gravity of the words he spoke, and ran into his arms, embracing him while sobbing._

_Cloud shook his head, looking to Sephiroth with understanding._

_"Don't feel so bad, I would've done the same for Tifa.  Once you two are done, I'm going back to the Tiny Bronco, we're going to see if we can track him down or something…"_

_Aeris sniffed, "I know a way… the… the City of the Ancients.  If I pray for Holy there, we'll surely counteract the power of the Black Materia.  But we need to hurry, time is of the essence."_

_Cloud nodded, "Indeed, let's go."_

Sephiroth shook his head slowly, as the memory played through his mind.  He continued to look around the room at the various other members of the team who had been conversing about various events of the adventure.

A man wearing a business suit strode up to him, his eyes shifting between various stages of transformation.

"Sephiroth…"

Sephiroth nodded, the man before him was his real father, and such was a fact he was very glad to have found during the adventure.  To him, being the son of a TURK was much better than being the son of a mad scientist who caused most of the trouble the group had to deal with.

"Father…"

Vincent Valentine, the former head of the TURKS, was the very same man who molded Tseng into what he was today.  He had originally be garbed in various cloths to hide his face, in the event that he found out that his child, who had been injected by Jenova cells, would indeed become an evil that rivaled the cells in his body.  Luckily, Sephiroth had been the one to free him from his long slumber, and when Vincent realized who Sephiroth was, he returned to wearing similar clothing to what he wore in the past.

"Sephiroth, I'm sorry for what Hojo did to you… if only I had been there to stop him… if only he had not left me in a state of near death for the longest time… if only…"

Sephiroth put a hand on the older man's shoulder, as he looked into a face that had not aged in years, but yet looked very much like his own.

"You should not let the sins of the past way so heavily on you, father.  Clearly, you were not at fault, once again, Hojo was responsible, not a surprise considering he has been responsible for so much evil in this world, but we took care of him…"

Yes, he, Cloud, and Vincent had been there on the very top of the Sister Ray.  Dyne had been backing them up near their position, using his newly acquired gun, the Missing Score, to take out various SOLDIER officers that were climbing the cannon to face the group.

Cloud, Vincent, and Sephiroth, the three lives that Hojo ruined the most had their revenge that fated day, after the barrier surrounding the north crater was demolished.  And therefore, the three found peace for a short time, before dealing with the falling red rock that was coming for Midgar at a snail's pace.

"It's not your fault at all, father…"

He looked behind Vincent, noticing that Cloud had embraced Tifa, saying some sort of consoling words for the battle ahead.

Cloud, the man was truly some sort of mystery.  Sephiroth found out that Cloud had very much wanted to be like himself during his earlier years, but Sephiroth realized that Cloud had some qualities that were even better than his own.  Cloud was the team's prominent mage, having discovered some kind of inherit magical ability in his blood that allowed him to use Materia to an even greater degree than he or Aeris could.  Sephiroth had looked up various historical records for Cloud, and found that Cloud's bloodline dated back similarly to where Tifa's had, that he was actually the descendant of the famous Treasure Hunter, Locke Cole, and his wife, Celes Chere, one of the Empire's greatest mages.  Obviously, this bloodline had very much to do with Cloud's amazing ability with magic, which put him over the top of many wizards of yore, and he was truly one of the deciding factors in the battle to save the planet.

Sephiroth looked over to the man standing nearby, looking out the main window of the bridge, garbed in black, another man standing next to him garbed similarly.  Along with them were two women garbed in similar black skin tight suits, one with Blond hair and of obvious Wutaitian descent, and the other with Blue hair and looked as if she was partially of Wutaitian descent.

The first man mentioned was Gyrick Standell, who had taken up studying an ancient form of Martial arts that his girlfriend's father was one of the few known practitioners of.  He had taken up the use of two short swords that had been forged in the fire pits of Wutai and held various enchantments after being soaked in the lifestream energies near Mideel. 

The woman standing closest to him was his girlfriend, Aurora, who Sephiroth recalled having been mentioned several times previously.  She was skilled in various arts of assassination, and had distinct knowledge with various ranged weapons, with bows, guns, and throwing weapons.

The other man was the friend of his who had previously been mentioned, a powerful Sai master by the name of Edward Olorin.  Though he previously worked for SOLDIER, he quickly joined the cause after hearing of the various problems in the world and became a powerful ally due to his latent abilities to influence large numbers of people due to his charismatic qualities.  His Sai's, weapons not very widely used in the world, were forged similarly to Gyrick's, having been forged in the fire pits of Wutai, and soaked in lifestream to form very powerful weapons.  He also possessed a keen knowledge of the use of various materia, and was known to master materia very quickly, as had been discovered when he had been the first of the group to master the spell of Ultima.  It was unclear to Sephiroth exactly how strong the man was with magic, as he did not see him battle often, but it was clear that he possessed an uncanny ability.

The blue haired woman standing near him was his girlfriend, Dawn Hessen, a woman specifically skilled in throwing weapons.  She had also been the first of the group to master the use of Enemy Skills, which were indeed some of the most powerful techniques available to the group.  In fact, she was sent out to master several of the materia while other more dangerous missions were left to Sephiroth, Cloud, and Cid.

Sephiroth moved his gaze to the final member of the group, who had suddenly come up next to him and held him in a large embrace.

His fiancé, Aeris, the one he could attest to preventing many psychological breakdowns that he realized were the cause of Jenova.  Because he had known her for most of his life due to his close proximity to her and Professor Gast during his days in SOLDIER, he soon found himself in love with her, and made sure she was close to him during many battles to make sure she was safe.

He recalled one such battle, which had almost been her death, one that happened in the Ancient City, not long after the fiasco with the Black Materia.

Her praying form made her almost look like an angel, as she kneeled at the altar hoping for Holy to come and save the planet from Meteor.

_Suddenly, Sephiroth heard the sound of metal against metal, and looked up as Zack was quickly descending above, ready to cleave Aeris in two._

_Sephiroth would have none of it as he roared a fierce battle cry and leapt in the air to meet the massive blade coming down to kill his love._

_The blades met, and Sephiroth exerted all of his strength to throw Zack off his course, causing him to fall close to the edge of the platform where Aeris was praying.  She slowly got up, her eyes brimming with tears of happiness._

_"It… Holy heard my prayer!  We can save the planet now!"_

_Zack shook his head, leaping high into the air as the gruesome form of Jenova appeared on the platform._

_Sephiroth sneered as Zack flew out of his range of sight.  He then pointed his sword to the monster, readying himself to fight the beast in front of him._

_"Come on, Cloud, Aeris, we need to get rid of this monstrosity!"_

_Cloud grinned, bringing out the blade he found while going through Mt. Nibel for a second time._

_"You'd have to order me not to."_

_Aeris agreed, bringing out an intricate staff she found in the Temple of the Ancients, a red hue surrounding her._

_"Let's see how Jenova likes dealing with Ifrit…"_

Sephiroth grinned, remembering the battle with Jenova, and how smooth it was, though he was quite worried that he would have not been able to save Aeris in time due to Zack's speed in his descent.

He shook his head, realizing that his doubt would be his undoing, as he just knew that he had to save her no matter what was in his way.

He looked around at the entire group, realizing all their eyes were on him.

"It looks like you're all waiting to hear me speak…"

Dyne grinned, pumping his gun in the air, "Yer damn right!  Let's hear some pep talk, leader!"

Sephiroth nodded, shifting his gaze throughout the cockpit.

"From my days in SOLDIER, I never really cared about anyone other than myself.  It was about the time that I was a teenager that I spent time with Aeris more and more… I realized the feeling one could get after having someone else to care about."

She smiled, continuing her embrace.

"Personally, if it wasn't for Aeris, I probably would have been on Shinra's side fighting against you, or worse… I could have been in Zack's position.  I found out that I have the highest concentration of Jenova cells out of any human being, and a fated day 5 years ago was when she tried to take control of my mind through force.

I don't know what caused me to wrest my self control from Jenova's will, I think I remember thinking only about Aeris during the time to calm myself down, and actually, I am rather glad I have such an amazing person to think about to help gain focus.

What we are about to do now is risk our lives to save the planet.  Let me tell you, Zack Russell is not going to be an easy adversary.  He has been given much of Jenova's power, and he has been siphoning energy from the lifestream to bring himself to near godhood, and I know this next battle will probably be the most difficult battle that I have ever faced.

I will not let some stuck up pissant like Russell think that he's better than me though.  I'd bet my life that the whole of this team is stronger than SOLDIER and the TURKS put together.  The fact that we have the 5 best people skilled in assassination may prove helpful since we're dealing with only one target, but then again, I'm sure the art of assassination never involved going after anyone with a large amount of lifestream induced power.  Also, Cloud is likely to be the best user of magic on the planet due to whom he is descended from, and Tifa has successfully mastered one of the most difficult martial arts techniques ever created in the whole of history.  We have Cait Sith, yet another hook up to Shinra, which will surely help, and Vincent Valentine, my father, and the greatest of the TURKS.  And then there's Cid, descended from the great Dragoon, Kain, and Dyne, who is one of the main reasons that Avalanche has gained it's reputation throughout the years.  If there was any team that I would be taking against Russell to save the planet, it would definitely be this one.

Now, I ask that you go with me, on a long journey to the bottom of the crater, where Russell is gaining even more power from the previous wound given to the planet from what I assume was Meteor long ago.  I ask that you all remember who you are fighting for, and the future that we strive for."

Dyne pointed his gun-arm in the air, "I'm doing this fer Barret, and my daughter Marlene!"

Cait Sith nodded, "She's safe in Kalm, ya know…"

The gun was pointed at the mechanical robot with a sneer, "You're damn lucky that it was all for the best.  Otherwise I'd be cappin' yer ass, Reeve."

The others nodded, as they waited for Sephiroth to continue.

He gripped the hilt of the Masamune in anticipation.

"This is Avalanche's finest hour.  Let us be the avalanche that quenches the flames.  Whether we win or lose, we will always be fighting with our loved ones in our hearts.  Now… I want everyone to go off in groups of three… we'll meet right at the greatest insurgence of lifestream, where the path to Zack surely lies."

Cloud nodded, "I'm going with you, Sephiroth."

Cid walked next to him, "You bet your ass I'm going with you guys."

Vincent nodded as he paired off with Edward and Gyrick.  Cait Sith, Yuffie and Dawn went off in their own group, and Aurora joined with Aeris and Tifa.

Sephiroth brought a fist to the air, his eyes glowing with Mako and determination.

"Let no cloud, nor squall hinder us… the time for destiny has arrived."

Cid chuckled, "Write it down, Seph, they'll put it in a play, that's fer damn sure."

And Avalanche descended into the crater, for the battle to save the planet.  Leading the group, was what could have been the planet's enemy, and instead, became its greatest hero.

And always, his eyes were filled with Mako and determination.


	3. A Teacher of Magic A Master of War

Author's Note: This chapter is a crossover with Chrono Trigger.  For those who've played Chrono Trigger, this chapter will be like an Alternate Dimension to "The Cause of Death".  For those who have not played the awesome game (to which I say: find a way, you're missing out), I will try to explain Sephiroth's current situation to the best of my ability.  Read on, and feel free to express your opinion, even if it is bad (I'm looking at you, darth).

Altered Destiny Chapter 3: A teacher of magic… a Master of War 

_By Novalon_

            He watched, content, as the mythical swirling energies greeted him with a soothing feeling.  Looking down, he could see he was garbed as he once was many years ago, at the very peak of his strength.  He looked around to see many of his friends in the same area, some who were already there long before, and others who were appearing after him.

            "Hell yeah, Sephiroth's here with us!"

            He turned to see Dyne, with a large grin on his face, minus the gun on his hand.  Standing near him was a broad dark-skinned man with a gruff look on his face.

            "The foo' finally got off his damn train, 'bout time."

            Aeris seemed to float up to him, looking as she did so many years ago.  He had been waiting for this moment, as she had been the first to make her journey to the Lifestream.

            "My dear Aeris… where are we?  If this were the Lifestream, wouldn't we be reborn rather soon?"

            She shook her head, looking back at their friends.

            "We have the spirits of legendary heroes of times past.  We are sent to an area of the afterlife different from most people.  When the Lord deems it right, we will be called upon to give our energies in the creation of new life, with a destiny to rise above the rest of the lives on the planet to struggle for it's safety."

            Sephiroth put a hand to his chin, wondering.

            "So wait… what legendary hero was I in a past life?"

            Cid shook his spear at him, lighting up on a cigarette.  How he had smuggled the cigarettes in the area was beyond anyone though.

            "You made my ancestor's life a living hell… and I should know, cause he's living on through me!"

            Aeris sighed, bringing a hand up to Sephiroth's face.

            "You were a man named Golbez.  A man who could have risen to the light of a Paladin, but fell when an dark being took control of you."

            Sephiroth grimaced, putting a hand over his eyes.

            "The same could have happened with Jenova… luckily, I broke away from such a horror."

            She sighed, "Here, many of us have a vantage point of what could have been… and what could have been for you… was what happened to Zack."

            Sephiroth shook his head, turning to see Yuffie bounding up and down across the room.

            "And who were you, Yuffie?"

            She bounded over to him, striking a pose, "I was the great Summoner, Rydia of Eblan, ironically also my ancestor."

            Sephiroth nodded, "Indeed, the people of Wutai were the descendants of the Ninjas of Eblan… your ancestor married the prince of the Ninjas, didn't she?"

            Yuffie nodded, bouncing across to the other side of the room.

            Cloud walked over, calmly looking around the area.

            "I don't have to ask who you were, Cloud…"

            He nodded, "I was Cecil."

            A mask of confusion went to Sephiroth's face before the name fully registered throughout his spirit, and suddenly, he remembered.

            "… brother?"

            Cloud nodded.

            Sephiroth turned to Aeris, "I sense that you've been through numerous lives as well."

            Aeris nodded, "I was Rosa of Baron, fighting alongside the former spirits of Cloud, Cid, and Yuffie, and her ancestor Edge.  And, I was Terra Branford, a woman who saved our planet long ago, when the world may have been destroyed for good."

            Sephiroth smiled, "You've been rather busy, love."

            Suddenly, the room flashed with light, and a cloaked man appeared.

            None of the people in the room could place where they had seen him before, but for each of them, he looked somewhat familiar.

            Sephiroth stepped forward, eyeing the cloaked man.

            "I am having the oddest sense of Déjà vu…"

            The cloaked man nodded, "That is because we have met, or rather… we met in a timeline different from this one.  I traveled here because I saw what happened to another planet, and realized you are needed to help save it, though it will not be in the traditional sense, and such a thing has not really been done before…"

            Sephiroth stepped back into a common SOLDIER stance, continuing to stare at the strange man.

            "So what is it?  What do I need to do?"

            The man looked around, focusing on Aeris before turning his gaze back to Sephiroth.

            "Your spirit is going to be brought back to the physical plane, and taken to a darkness beyond time… time's very end.  There, you will wait to train a group of people to use basic elemental magic so they can save their planet."

            Sephiroth looked around, at each of the spirits watching him before turning back to the cloaked man.

            "I suppose I owe yet another service to fighting evil.  When do I start?"

            He looked around as he realized he was no longer in the same place.  Stars twinkled forever out in the distance, and the room he stood in was rather non descript.  It was a square room, with a fenced barrier to keep one from falling into the void of stars.

            "Uh… sir?"

            The cloaked man appeared, nodding, "You already know how to give elemental magic right?"

            Sephiroth shook his head, but realized he had more power within him than he usually did.  He looked at his sword to see all his materia gone; yet the magical power that resided in him was still there.

            The man may have smiled, Sephiroth wasn't completely sure, but he held up a hand, suddenly shouting aloud as his both of his hands shot up at exact forty five degree angles in a V shape from his body.

            "Ipso Facto Meenie Moe!"

            Sephiroth crossed his arms, smirking.

            "Is that it?"

            The cloaked man nodded, "Indeed, add whatever word you want on the end that would fit.  Hell, come up with a rhyme if you want, whatever works for you.  Anyway, the man who resides here is coming to talk with you now.  I will be off, Master of War."

            He disappeared as a door Sephiroth didn't notice earlier suddenly opened, and a gray haired man walked forward, dressed in odd brown clothing.

            "Are you the one who was sent from the Lord to aid in saving this planet from Lavos?"

            Sephiroth shrugged before nodding, "Indeed, I am Sephiroth, the Master of War."

            The man nodded, "Good, I am Gaspar, guru of Time… the heroes will be arriving shortly, you know what to do…"

            Gaspar opened the door behind him and walked quickly out, giving Sephiroth the time to put a hand to his head and turn around as about half an hour later, the door opened again.

            Sephiroth turned to see a man with wild red hair standing at the front of the 3 person group.  His muscular form reminded Sephiroth much of Cloud, and his eyes held a light in them that Sephiroth realized was the look of some sort of Legendary Hero.  _Since I don't have Light… the closest thing I can give is Lightning.  I suppose he'll do well with that._  Sephiroth found himself looking at the other two with the man.

            The purple haired girl adorned with various odd gadgets had a fiery attitude about her, he was sure of it.  _She would be perfect for the element of Fire._

The blond haired girl with them shocked him greatly as he read her spirit energy.  S_uch coldness I can sense, you have no idea what to do about this world you live in, and seeing it's destruction has brought you great despair.  The power of Ice, and the power of Healing shall be yours._

He looked over the group of people, suddenly speaking.

            "A great evil… you wish to fight this evil that destroys your future.  A noble cause, indeed.  I am Sephiroth, Master of War and Battle, and yet I see you are as yet too weak to face the great evil that has come to your planet.  However, despite all this, I see your intentions are pure, and you only wish for the well being of your planet.  I will help you by giving you the power to aid in your quest, a power that shall grow within you… the power of the elements, the great power of magic."

            The man in lead looked with a state of confusion as he and his friends slowly floated up.

            "IPSO FACTO MEENIE MOE!  MAGICO!"

            Sephiroth pointed his hands to them as their respected elements were given.  As they floated down, he looked each of them over, each of them reminding him much of his past compatriots.

            "So… fortified with magic… want to try it out?"

_Author's Note: Also, this fanfic is crossed over with Final Fantasy 4 (Golbez, Rydia, Cid's ancestor, Cecil) another fantastic game.  Anyway, read and review this, see if it is worthy, or if it still needs work._


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